PRAGUE — Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas called Friday for a thorough and quick investigation into allegations by the former U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic, who has accused the country’s former defence minister of asking for a bribe.

William Cabaniss was quoted in Friday’s edition of the major newspaper Mlada Fronta Dnes as saying Martin Bartak asked for money during a February 2008 meeting near Washington D.C., where Bartak was with an official Czech delegation.

Bartak was then deputy defence minister; he later served as defence minister and currently is deputy finance minister, in charge of fighting corruption.

Necas said he considered the allegations “serious” because the scandal could harm the country’s relations with a close ally.

“A thorough investigation has to be carried out and must be done quickly,” Necas said.

Bartak denied any wrongdoing in a statement Friday and called the allegations “absurd.”

He said had been given an unpaid leave at his request because he didn’t want the scandal to damage the government.

“I am sure I will be able to return to work soon,” Bartak said. He said he planned to take unspecified legal action against those who are behind the campaign against him.

The major opposition Social Democrats called on Necas Friday to fire Bartak immediately.

Cabaniss, ambassador to Prague in 2003-06, has been chairman of the supervisory board of Czech truck maker Tatra AS. Cabaniss said Bartak offered him his help to solve the company’s dispute with its supplier Praga, which threatened a $150 million deal for Tatra to deliver trucks for Czech military.

“At some point of the conversation he said for certain amount of money, I don’t remember the exact amount, the problems between Tatra and Praga can be solved,” Cabaniss was quoted as saying.

“I didn’t respond. I thought it was a very unusual and out of order conversation from someone at the defence ministry,” Cabaniss was quoted as saying in the newspaper interview. “I walked away and had no further conversation with him.”

Duncan Sellars, the chief of Tatra’s U.S. branch, who was also present at the meeting, said Bartak asked for several million dollars.

Cabaniss was not available for comment Friday, Tatra spokesman Vladimir Bystrov said. He said Cabaniss and Sellars have co-operated with local police and testified Thursday.

The defence ministry has been under increasing fire recently for non-transparent ways of acquiring military equipment.

Necas said his government will stop such practices.

Among other cases, Czech authorities asked the United States in August to help with a corruption inquiry into a lucrative 2002 deal to buy 24 JAS-39 Gripen jet fighters from BAE Systems.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/nov/14/embassy-row-583058910/

Last year Ronald Adams announced that Tatra will concentrate on chassis technology and would buy other parts as developing bthemselves is too costly.  The latest is now that negotiations are proceeding well with DAF, the Paccar owned Dutch truckbuilder. Officially it has not been confirmed by Tatra, but management member on behalf of the unions, Pavel Baron, said that Tatra hoped to get their long-standing customers back when offering  a new cabin. Baron’s idea that the last batch of sacked workers might return to Tatra next year, once new orderswere welcomed by Tatra, might be based on his idea that a new cabin would attract new customers.

Czech: http://hn.ihned.cz/c1-47474260-tatra-chce-karoserie-od-firmy-daf

Tatra manufactured 648 trucks in Q1-3 2010, a rise of  5,88% compared to 2009.

http://ekonomika.ihned.cz/

By: Lubomir Sedlak, Friday, October 08, 2010, AutomotiveWorld.com

Czech truck maker Tatra, which planned to make redundant 167 workers before end of this year, gave in to the company’s trade union and has promised to 91 of the workers in writing that by June 2011 at the latest it will take them back at the same wage as now.

Union chairman Pavel Baron told local daily Právo that as far as demand for Tatra’s lorries goes, next year should be slightly better than what it had looked like a month ago. The first workers should leave the company in November 2010, he added.

Koprivnice – Kopřivnice Tatra Unions could eventually forced to leave 77 staff instead of the originally planned 167 people. Workers’ representatives argue that the situation looks more favorable contracts and even outlook for the next year is optimistic.  More… (automatic translation)

Czech text: http://www.ct24.cz/

In an interview with Lidove Noviny, Tatra’s CEO Ronald Adams unfolded his plans for Tatra’s future. A last chance?  More…. (aut. translation)

Tatra has fired another 180 men. Rumours ay that this number could even rise to 500. People might get their job back next year due to contracted orders for Q1 2011. Ronald Adams speaks (aut. translation):

http://translate.google.com/

Czech text: http://www.financninoviny.cz/

UPDATE: http://www.automotiveworld.com/

Navistar Defense, LLC on September 21 showcased its International MXT and Navistar-Tatra ATX6 vehicles at the Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition.
The company plans to submit variations of these vehicles to compete for the future South African military logistic truck requirement. More….

Lubomir Sedlak, Thursday, August 19, 2010, AutomotiveWorld.com

 Tatra is soon to start assembling some of its trucks in either Russia or one of the other post-Soviet republics. Over the past few weeks, it has begun to recruit new workers who will make the necessary parts at the OEM’s factory in the north Moravian town of Koprivnice.

Tatra has last year and the year before combined lost approximately CKr1.3bn (US$67.1m) and reduced its workforce from 3,700 to merely 2,300. “In 2009, our financial situation was probably the worst in the past fifty years,” conceded general director Gerald Adams.

Czech car production up by 18% in H1
ČTK 22 July 2010
Prague, July 21 (CTK) – Czech car makers produced 559,000 cars in the Czech Republic in H1 2010, an increase of 18 percent on the year, the Automotive Industry Association (SAP) said.
Passenger cars contributed nearly 557,000 units to the total figure, the SAP said. All passenger car manufacturers registered an increase in production, the association said.
Car maker Skoda Auto raised production of passenger cars and small utility vehicles by 17 percent to 287,000 units. TPCA’s production grew by 1.8 percent to 178,000 units and Hyundai’s by 84 percent to nearly 92,000 units. Kaipan produced six cars, 50 percent more on the year.
Production of lorries fell by 7.4 percent on the year to 579 units and bus production dropped by a fifth to 1,228 units in H1.
Avia raised production by 53 percent to 174 lorries this year, while Tatra reported a drop of 20 percent to 405 units.
As for buses, SOR Libchavy registered an increase, while other bus producers saw a drop in their output.
Motorcycle production went down by nearly 40 percent to 229 units.
Czech producers of motor vehicles exported 618,000 units in Jan-June of the year and domestic sales reached 33,500 units, a yr/yr growth of 16-17 percent for both items.
Czech car makers’ production in H1 2009 and 2010
type of vehicle production 2010 production 2009
passenger cars and small utility vehicles 556,706 470,667
lorries 579 625
buses 1,228 1,555
motorcycles 229 372
Source: SAP